The photo shows the monastic cell of the revolutionary priest.
There were present: the AG (Angel-Guardian), the AD (Angel-Destroyer), Joanna, V. Lenin (a leader), V. Shulgin, Peter Pavlenko, Leo Trotsky, Nikolai Nekrasov, Alexander Pushkin, F. Tutchev, Andrey Bely, Sergius Bulgakov.
'The peaceful period of revolution progress has finished. A new period has come. It's a period of critical conflicts, squabbles and collisions... Now one of the conditions for change of power is victory over counter-revolution by means of uprising.' (A fragment of Joseph's speech at an extra conference of Petrograd's organization of the RSDLP).
'The possibility is not denied that Russia will become a country pioneering the way to socialism... you must deny the obsolete conceptions which say that only Europe can show us this way. There are different Marxisms: dogmatic and creative ones. I support the latter' (A fragment of Joseph' Congress at the 6th meeting of the RSDLP).
THE PAGES OF JOSEPH'S LIFE
In March of 1917 he returned from Turukhansk exile to Petrograd. The Bureau of the Central Committee of the RSDLP made him a member the editorial of the newspaper 'Pravda'. He took part in the All-Russian Conference of Soviets and the Petrograd City Conference, made a speech for the defense of the Bolshevist policy of revolution at the April's All-Russian Conference of the RSDLP.
He made a report on ethnic issue, was elected a member of the Central Committee of the party, made a report on national movement and national forces, was elected a member of the central executive committee by the 1st All-Russian Congress of Soviets.
Lenin went underground. Stalin directly controlled the activity of the Central Committee of the Bolshevist party.
'A petty bourgeois wave overflowed everything and oppressed conscientious proletariat not only by its quantity but by ideological means too' (the witness V. Lenin).
'At that moment I somehow heard ringing of 300 years old metal after it struck against dirty roadway. The Petropavlovsky cathedral cut the sky with its sharp steeple and the glow was blood red.' (the witness Shulgin about tsar's abdication).
After coming from his exile, from mid March to October of 1917 Stalin published more than sixty articles and items in 'Pravda' and many other newspapers.
On the 10th of October 1917 he took part in a conference of the Party's Central Committee. The Central Committee adopts Lenin resolution about armed uprising.
'The moment has come when further delay threatens with ruin to all cause of revolution. The present landowner's and capitalist's government must be replaced by new government of workers and peasants... Authority should be passed to the hands of soviets of soldier's and peasant's deputies" (J. Stalin. 'What do we need?' 'Rabochy Put, Oct. 24, 1917)
'The October Socialist Revolution destroyed capitalism, took away means of production from bourgeoisie and transformed factories, plants, lands, railways and banks into property of all people, into all-national property' (The History the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), the short course).
"The AG: 'In connection of 'property' I would like to quote the testimony of Peter Pavlenko:
'Stalin told how St Francis had taught to live without property. One monk asked him, 'May I keep my Bible at the least?'And he answered, 'Today you say 'my Bible' and tomorrow you will command, 'Bring me my Bible'.
'The rise of Stalin was quite different and incomparable one. It has no prehistory. The process of his ascent was performed somewhere behind impenetrable political scenes. A dull personality suddenly separated from the Kremlin wall at a certain moment, and the world for the first time got to know Stalin as a ready dictator.'
This is a perplexity of Leon Trotsky who once was the closest companion of Joseph in party and revolution, and later became the bitterest enemy and an ideological opponent. His testimonies are particularly precious. "A man is known by the company he keeps."
Therefore, 'The world is about to change its foundation" (The Internationale).
THE DECLARATION OF RUSSIAN PEOPLE'S RIGHTS
The October Revolution of laborers and peasants started under universal banner of liberation.
PEASANTS are liberated from landowners' control because landowners' ownership of land doesn't exist anymore; it is abolished.
SOLDIERS and SEAMEN are liberated from autocratic generals' control because from the time on generals will be elective and replaceable.
LABOURERS are liberated from capitalists' caprices and lawlessness because from now on labourers' control over factories and plants will be established. All that is live and viable is liberated from hateful bonds.
The rest PEOPLES OF RUSSIA who endured and endure oppression and lawlessness should be liberated immediately; their liberation should be performed resolutely and finally.
During the epoch of tsarism peoples of Russia were systematically stirred against each other. Results of such policy are well-known: slaughter and pogroms from one side and slavery of peoples from other one,
This shameful policy of stirring up is no more and shouldn't be returned. From now on it should be replaced with policy of VOLUNTARY and HONEST union of Russian peoples.
On behalf of the Russian Republic, the people's commissar of national affairs Joseph Dzhugashvili (Stalin). The newspaper 'Pravda', 15th of November, 1917. The Chairman of the Counsil of the People's Commissars V. Ulianov (Lenin).
'The world is about to change its foundation...'
But later roads of revolution children gradually parted and they locked in mortal combat until 'a dull personality suddenly separated from the Kremlin wall...'
Eventually, the bitterest enemy turned out to be abroad where he got a fatal blow on his head with an ice axe.
Trotsky witnesses,'Both Stalin's mistakes are very significant for him: he didn't breathe atmosphere of working people's meetings, was not connected with masses of people and didn't confide to them. He got all information though the party apparat. Meanwhile masses of people were much more revolutionary than party which in turn was much more revolutionary than members of its committees. As it was in other cases, Stalin represented conservative tendency of apparat but not dynamical strength of masses."
"Make notice, Negative, than here the word 'apparat' is repeated twice, and Joseph is accused of lack of faith in masses. It is very important for our analysis."
'Generally speaking, Stalin was inclined to underestimate readiness of laborers and soldiers for struggle: he was always distrustful towards the masses. But whenever struggle started, whether on Tiflis square or in Baku's jail or in Petrograd streets he always tried to make it as acute as possible.'
"Notice that here it is again said about 'distrust towards the masses' and about ability to take advantage of any unexpected conflict situation."
'In the period of the reaction after the July movement the role of Stalin grows extensively. The party was half underground. Specific weight of the apparat increased correspondingly. The importance of Stalin increased automatically inside the apparat. This principle invariably passed though all his political biography being his mainspring.'
Then the witness quoted the words Joseph said on the July conference:
'Not establishments are important but for the sake of which class they pursue their policy.
"Notice that apparat, revolutionary situation and establishments are only means for Joseph. But what goal did he strive for?"
In a few pages of his unfinished book about Stalin the witness makes a conclusion by himself:
'It would be a mistake to think that from the very beginning he had a complete purpose of struggle for his personal supremacy. Exceptional historical conditions were needed for stirring his ambitions to an extent unexpected even for him. But in one thing he remained to be constantly true to himself: despising all other considerations he forced every concrete situation for strengthening of his own position at the cost of others, step by step, stone by stone, patiently, without enthusiasm but at the same time without mercy."
PAGES OF JOSEPH'S LIFE
In 1917 he made a speech in the enlarged meeting of the Central Committee where he criticized Kamenev's and Zinoviev's positions on the issue of the armed uprising. On 24th of October he made a report about political situation at the conference of the Bolshevist fraction of the 2nd All Russian Congress of Soviets.
In October 24-25, according to certain witnesses, he provided Lenin's security at the time of the armed uprising, presided at a congress together with Lenin, was elected a member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and confirmed as the people's commissar of ethnic issue.
He wrote a declaration of Russian people's rights, made a speech at the Congress of the Finnish Social Democratic Labor Party in Helsingfors, spoke at a meeting of the Military and Revolutionary Committee on the issue of prohibition of counter-revolutionary newspapers.
He made a speech at the meeting of the Council of People's Commissars on the policy of the socialist state in the sphere of finances and economics. Together with Lenin he worked out a program of peace talks, signed the Decree of the arrest of the Civil War leaders who opposed the revolution.
He made reports about situations in Ukraine and Byelorussia, Orenburg, the Ural district, Turkestan and Caucasus, took part in the conference of the All-Russian Board of organization and formation of the Red Army.
THE AG'S WITNESS FOR JOSEPH:
'There shall not an hair of your head perish without God's will.'
The Lord has hewn the former system like the barren fig tree, allowing the October overturn to come true. You can open any significant writing work of that time. All writers condemned rotten swamp of the then reality. Didn't it ruin people's souls? Didn't it violate the Plan?
The Lord Himself called common people 'sheep' who needed to have 'a good shepherd', by no means wanting to offend them. An orthodox believer can change significance of one or other epoch not by a pharisaic slogan but by "the Lord's harvest'.
Reading in a reference to the work by P. Kohan 'Essays on the history of West European literatures' Joseph emphasizes a phrase from Rousseau:
'And I don't argue about Him. For God it is more offensive when people argue about Him unjustly than when they don't think about Him at all'
Were those lukewarm orthodox believers unacceptable for Heaven? To reconcile with their own conscience one had to break with their environment and hateful state, become a rebel or escape. Russian classic literature literally abounds with motives of such a rebellion-flight. Escape or death!
Man 'after God's image and likeness' couldn't exist in that 'Holy Russia without forcing his own conscience, and it is not surprising that in despair he destroyed that world or promoted its destruction.
It was a search for God 'from a black door', i.e it was a search not that 'conniver of evil' whom official clergy professed voluntarily or not, but a protector of 'the humiliated and offended'.
"O God of the oppressed and sorrowful,
God of future generations,
Forgive, protect and cross me
Before this poor altar"
Nikolai Nekrasov
For ill conscience there were no refuge in Russia except monasteries but not everyone could endure monastic deed...
With downcast eyes and wringing my hands
I cried and poured out anguish of my pierced soul,
And bitterly repeated, tossing like a sick man,
'What shall I do? What will be with me?
We will all die if we don't have time
To find a refuge but where is a refuge? Woe, woe be to us!
"A hero wanders in fear and despondency until he meets a young monk with a book who asks him, what has happened."
And I answered him, 'Learn my evil destiny. I'm condemned to death and called to afterlife judgment. And that's why I'm grieved: I'm not ready for judgment and fear for death.'
'If your destiny is like that,' he objected, 'and you are really so pitiful, what are you waiting for? Why don't you escape from here?'
Saying these words a monk showed with his finger into the distance.
'I can see light,' I said at last.
Go, he continued, 'and follow that light,
Let it be you only dream
Until you reach the gate of salvation.
Go!' and I broke into a run that moment.'
"In the same way many people looked for that very light in revolution."
"I can't remember who the author of these words is," the AD grumbled.
"How ignorant you are! It's Alexander Pushkin."
"Pushkin couldn't write so."
"It's 'The Wanderer', 1835. It was written by him not long before his death. Isn't it a Gospel 'narrow way to salvation'? Nekrasov says the same things. I have cited them already/"
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions." The AD giggled. "I invite to the feast of gods!"
"Don't blaspheme."
"Oh now, I'm simply citing Tutchev:
'Blessed is one who visited this world at its fatal hour.
He was called to the feast by all-good ones as a companion.'
"At the Feast of Gods' is the title of the witness Sergius Bulgakov's article."
'Everything is lost, lost! Everything has died and we have died; we are wandering like living corpses and dead souls. Until now I can't understand anything, my mind refuses to bear it. There was a powerful state needed for its friends and fearful for enemies but now it is a rotting carrion losing one piece after another to the joy of crows that flied together. In place of a sixth part of the world there is a stinky yawning hole.
Where are they, generous and light people, which fascinated hearts by their childish faith, purity and gentleness, giftedness and humbleness? Now it is a horde of murderers, traitors, robbers who are all in blood and dirt, in every rudeness and beastliness. I kind black transformation has happened, God's people have become a heard of Gadarenes swine.'
"It sounds like about our perestroika," Joanna said unintentionally.
"Disappear into the space, o Russia, my Russia," as the witness Andrey Bely exclaimed," the AG began to merrily swing his feet in black sandals. It was written in 1918, dear Joanna."
"And it is really disappeared and all kinds of treacherous 'independences' began to swarm instead of it. Therefore, we are present at the burial of Russia,"
"Greetings from 1918!"
"It so happened that Russia betrayed its own calling and became unworthy of it, and so it fell and its falling was great as its calling had been."
"For this reason I ask myself again and again: let our people now turn out to be theomachists and rebels against sacred things; it would be only a negative testimony of their religious spirit. But as often as not, they simply act like boors and beasts who don't care about faith, as if they had no demons...
One can recover from being demon-possessed but not from beastliness. At nights I sometimes wake up in cold sweat and repeat in horror, 'They are not teomachists but beasts. Look at this chronicle of burglaries and defilements of churches, monasteries; all of that is done by people masses but not by separate people. Look at people's indifference towards abolishment of Scripture lessons at schools..."
"That's what your Joseph did in company of his dear Bolsheviks!"
"It is nonsense. Now it proves only one thing: there was opened a bad abscess of lie, real godlessness and spiritual impoverishment of once 'Holy Russia' which lost its blessings and became 'lukewarm'. The witness rightly observed that it was not theomachism but beastliness and vampirism because everyone whose blood is drunk becomes a potential vampire waiting for his time."
'Beasts' were restrained not by faith but by power. And the official church that demanded obedience was accepted as a part of powers.
In Christianity one who is the greatest is a servant of one who is the least. 'Lords were first who violated this law, and they initiated godlessness.
Of course, holiness, righteousness and grace used to exist in Russia. And thanks to prayers of righteous people the Lord for so long time tolerated the fruitless fig tree 'betraying its own calling'.
In the great and terrible revolution Russia was washed by blood, including blood of innocent martyrs. The whole generation after enduring sufferings, exiles and sometimes deadly torments was crucified... and those who understood the universal meaning of this punishment, 'for whom the LORD loveth he correcteth', redeemed their 'eternity ticket' as Dostoyevsky said and as we would like to believe.
Fish begins to stink at the head. We have already cited fragments of the Scripture on this theme. The Lord begins His punishment just from top circles.
People for the most part are a flock (in the meaning as the Scripture calls them). Therefore, people being a flock need to have a shepherd as a body needs to have a head. Forgive me, Negative, for the banality.
It is no mere chance that Gogol called his novel 'Dead Souls'. Top circles died first.
'To become hardened and callous,
And finally be turned into a stone
In deadly ecstasy of light,
Among heartless and arrogant people
And among brilliant fools...'
"Is it Alexander Pushkin," the AD nodded beginning to smoke.
"Good boy."
"Therefore, you mean that Russia's head became rotten, and it happened long ago, and so the best remedy from a headache is guillotine...."
"You are a cynic, son of darkness, but it seems that you are not far off the truth. To put it mildly, it was a flock without a shepherd, a flock of sheep-wolves that went mad."
Puffs of sulphur smoke gradually filled the viewing room, and...